The New England Patriots served themselves “humble pie,” as Bill Belichick likes to call it. In a game that was likely an aberration, the Pats beat themselves with some help from Jonathan Taylor, who was unstoppable. The penalties and turnovers were baffling and could not have come at a worse time for the Pats, who rarely hurt themselves, but shot themselves in the foot in this game. Not making those mistakes has been a team staple since the beginning of this century. It’s even more baffling that they were coming off a bye week and were not ready to play. It seemed like the team was still on vacation, and they could not match the intensity of the Indianapolis Colts. Belichick will also serve his humble pie recipe at practice and in the film room and quickly turn the page to the Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the Colts will probably hang a banner to celebrate and talk more trash for the next decade.
[pickup_prop id=”17392″]
When you see that the Patriots held Carson Wentz to 56 passing yards with one TD and one interception, you would think the Pats won the game, but they didn’t. The Colts beat the Patriots at their own game by running the ball, playing defense, and watching the Pats beat themselves with mistakes. This game will be sure to serve as a reality check.
Mac Jones Will Eat All of His Humble Pie
Mac Jones looked like a rookie quarterback in this game, and he made some critical mistakes. His two interceptions were backbreakers, especially the one in the red zone. He was late on some throws; others lacked zip on them, throwing “hospital balls” that put receivers in jeopardy and telegraphing his passes. He hasn’t looked like a rookie all year and has avoided crucial errors, but when the pressure was at its highest, it happened.
Jones was put in a bad situation by having to come from behind. It allowed the Colts to go after him in an obvious passing situation. The Colts defense is excellent, and the crowd noise was like the 12th man for them. It’s a challenging situation for a rookie; it resembled a playoff atmosphere. Even though the future remains bright for Jones, he is not immune to rookie growing pains. Rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle in big games against formidable defenses. Of the 98 rookie quarterbacks that have started 10-plus games, only 12 have led their team to the playoffs. However, Jones appears to be on his way, and with his football acumen, he will likely correct his mistakes, eat all of his Humble Pie and ask for more. He’s not your average rookie.
The Patriots Aren’t Built to Come from Behind
When the Patriot’s defense, special teams, and penalties put the team behind, they’re going to struggle to catch up. They are a run-heavy, defensive-minded team that likes to play from ahead. They can throw the ball, but they’re at a disadvantage when the defense knows they have to throw.
The Patriots aren’t built to come from behind. The passing game does not come easy; it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors created by Josh McDaniels. Jones doesn’t have a go-to receiver to act as a security blanket, motivator, and leader on the field like in the past with Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. They don’t have any game-breaking receivers who need to be double covered, and the group rarely creates any separation from defenders.
The defense continues to get gashed by the run; this time, they gave up 226 yards, which was demoralizing and may have been the most significant reason they lost. They could not stop Taylor from picking up first downs all game and killing the clock. The reason it was so demoralizing is that they knew he was going to run; they met him in the hole, and he just pushed them backward. The final blow came just before the two-minute warning when Taylor ripped off a 67-yard TD run to seal the game. It’s nearly impossible to come from behind when the defense can’t stop the run.
Humble Pie Tastes Awful
Every team has a fatal flaw; for the Pats, that flaw is that they are not built to come from behind as they lack the offensive firepower that most playoff teams have. The Patriots will continue to live and die by their strong defense and ball control identity. However, Belichick is aware of their flaws, and he can coach around them. He knows how to clean up the penalties that cost them the top seed in the AFC, and we shouldn’t expect them to be an issue down the stretch. Some teams don’t realize their flaws; the Pats are not one of those teams.
Humble Pie is defined as a figurative serving of humility, usually in the form of forced submission, retraction, or apology. The Pats will get a big helping of Humble Pie from Belichick. It will taste awful and be hard to swallow, but it will most certainly be beneficial, and it’s often just what a playoff contender needs.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
